Saturday, February 3, 2018

Good Time...*

Feb. 3, 2017

Possible...*

Image result for prostitution in paris by night



Hawaii lawmakers are considering decriminalizing prostitution in the Aloha State after the speaker of the House introduced a bill that would also legalize buying sex and acting as a pimp.
The proposal also would end a state law that says police officers can't have sex with prostitutes in the course of investigations.

Hawaii has an unusual history with prostitution investigations. Until 2014, it was legal for police officers to have sex with prostitutes as part of investigations, but state lawmakers changed that.

The bill and another to decriminalize marijuana may be part of a push to reduce the prison population.  

Now with the DACA issue, young people will be pouring again on the borders, illegally, to cash in on the anticipated decision.

Border patrol stopped a semi and found 67 Illegals in the truck. Payment of thousands of dolars, death, miss treatment are all part of the trade.

Same...

 The cartoonist's homepage, indystar.com/opinion/varvel

Friday, February 2, 2018

Thicket...

Image result for medication prices cartoon


Lawmakers are considering a bill to address what President Trump called a top priority in his State of the Union speech: lowering prescription drug prices.

Critics say some drug companies hold onto their exclusive sales of a brand-name drug – and  their profits – are playing games to stave off generic competitors, leaving patients out in the cold.

In one form, a brand company will pay a generic to delay entering the market,"  "In another form it will switch from one version of a drug to another, just trivially different, just to keep generics off the market…. They call it life-cycle management. I call it anti-competitive conduct."
 
Often, the games involve patents, the government protection that gives companies the exclusive right to sell their drug for 20 years. But drug makers have found ways to extend those protections much longer.

For example, rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira last year generated $18 billion for manufacturer AbbVie. But its original patent was expiring in 2016. So to protect it, Carrier says AbbVie built what's called a "patent thicket" of more than 100 additional patents.
 

Saturday...

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End...

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., January 31, 2018.



U.S. stocks lost nearly $1 trillion in this week's sell-off, according to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices.


The S&P 500 fell 3.85 percent in its worst week since the ugly beginning to 2016, before Brexit and before President Donald Trump's election. The last week's decline erased $945 billion from the index's market value, with $511 billion lost on Friday alone, Silverblatt said.
Stocks plunged as investors worried about interest rates rising too quickly. The decline in market value followed an unprecedented month of inflows into equities in January.

The main question is if this week is an adjustment or the start of a correction, or the end of the bull run (started on March 9, 2009, and now up 308%)," Silverblatt said in a note late Friday.

See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

Look...

The cartoonist's homepage, indystar.com/opinion/varvel

Applaud...

The cartoonist's homepage, pnj.com/opinion

Dog...*



Image result for a dog person


The kind of dog you have tells a lot about your personality. A study in England found a very clear correlation between people’s personalities and type of dogs they owned.

People who owned toy dogs tend to be more intelligent, while owners of utility dogs like Dalmatians and bulldogs were the most conscientious.

Dog owners in general are more outgoing and friendly than cat owners. Dogs take on their owners' personality traits, so if you fly off the handle, it might explain why your dog is so aggressive.

People who interact with a pet while working have lower stress levels throughout the day, while people who do not bring a pet see their stress levels increase over time. 

People trust others who have dogs more. Even if you live alone, having a dog has the same emotional benefit as that of a human friendship.

Just the act of petting a dog lowers heart rate and blood pressure.  People who own dogs get better sleep at night and are sick less often, have slightly lower cholesterol and are more likely to survive a heart attack.

Dog owners are less likely to suffer from depression than non-pet owners.   Since taking care of a dog requires a routine and forces you to stay at least a little active, it is harder to stay inside feeling down all the time. The interaction with and love received from a dog can also help people stay positive.

People with dogs seem to get ill less frequently and less severely than people with cats or no pets.
So feel good. Just a thought.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Mo Money...


  • Image result for tax and spend cartoon


Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to push for a tax on wealthy New Yorkers to pay for improvements needed to address the crisis engulfing New York City’s subway.

The proposal is the latest move in the battle between Mr. de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over who bears responsibility for repairing the deteriorating transit system.  

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has unveiled its congestion pricing plan to unclog Manhattan streets and raise money for mass transit.

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson[Democrats] is fast becoming the most outspoken local politician in favor of congestion pricing,  He called for immediate action on congestion pricing in Albany.